In Alfa’s brave new world, its cars will rule their respective classes on handling appeal and power-to-weight ratio. All will be bona fide premium offerings and design icons, with desirable coupés, mid-sized executive saloons and luxury SUVs all in the pipeline.

And barring the replacement for the Mito supermini, all will be either rear or four-wheel drive. The Germans had better watch out – and the Americans had better be ready with their cheque books.

Here they go again. But, for now at least, we can dare to believe in it. And here, we’re giving Alfa Romeo a chance to remind us that it’s capable of producing the extraordinary. Having missed the opportunity to put its ambitious 4C Coupé through the road test mill, we’re hopping to it with the new open-top version: the intriguing 4C Spider.